The Body as Human Experience Metaphor
Alexandre Kimenyi

Body metaphors are found in all languages. They are used as dead metaphors to refer to objects which have either physical or functional similarity to the human body part or to the state of the body in general. A large number of idiomatic expressions also use words which refer to the human body as either metaphors or metonymies. Although the interest and academic inquiry in metaphors is the object of many disciplines such as philosophy, pyschology, linguistics, anthropology, artificial inelligence, literary criticism, etc. , there has been no attempt to study this phenomenon systematically or to explain why they are used. This chapter is devoted only to conceptual metaphors, metaphors that native speakers use unconsciously thinking that they are using words which belong to the primary plane of expression, to use Roland Barthes' terminology. The reason why metaphors are used it is because of the asymmetry which exists between the finite number of language vocabulary and the infinite nature of the world that these words refer to. The finite nature of vocabulary is due to the size of the brain which doesn't have enough space to store the lexical items and also to the limited capacity of the memory which cannot retrieve all the information whenever it is needed. The other reason these metaphors exist, it is because they help the mind understand new experiences. This thus explains why body metaphors are universal. The body is an inalienable possession and experiences in the world from the cradle to the grave start with it.

I. The body condition metaphor

The physical and mental state of the body is used to relate to human experiences. Positive experiences are referred to by linguistic expressions which denote the well being of the body such as good health, vitality, energy, … and bad experiences by words or expressions which designate or describe the bad state of the body such its deterioration, sickness, weakness, etc.
This is illustated by examples below.

a healthy discussion, a valid (healthy) argument, an invalid (crippled) solution, a dead relationship, a muscular mandate, a political headache, a spoiled child, an ill-conceived idea, moral decay, a bruised ego, a bruising experience, a rotten politician, a handicapped democracy, a defunc t system, a happy ending, a joyous occasion, a sad story, to heal the wounds, to open old wounds, self-nflicted wounds, the wounds of the past have remained raw, financial bleeding, to take a deep breath, the society is still bearing the scars of its troubled past, to lose one's mind, to be out of one's mind, to be brainwashed, a bureaucracy in its dying throes, a sick joke, a sore need, a fractured childhood,

This state body metaphor is very much used to describe the state of the economy, which is seen as either being in good health or sick, thus needing medical treatment.

the recovery of the economy, the ailing economy, to put a shot in the arm, to inject a heavy dose in the economy, strong economy, a healthy economy, a robust/strong economy, sluggish economy, to cripple the economy, a debilitating/deteriorating economy, a paralyzed economy, lethargic economy, a moribund economy, to revive the economy, to jump-start a sagging economy, the economy is in good shape, lifeless economy, to cure the economy's ills, to harm/hurt the economy, the economy is bleeding, a hemorrhaging economy, a hemorrhaging state budget, tourissm is the lifeblood of the country's economy, a carcass of the economy, to revitalize/energize the economy, the economy is suffering, the economy is back on its feet, tax cuts would nurse the economy back to robust health, to try all sorts of remedies to improve the economy's health, to pull the country out of an economic slump, the economy is getting back on its feet, to feel theeconomy's pulse .

Personification or anthropocentric metaphors are known in poetry, literature and literary criticism only as dead metaphors but it has escaped many scientists that they are mostly used as conceptual metaphors.

II. Touching Metaphors

Touching metaphors refer to body contact or lack of it, taction, temperature and weight. Events, actions or objects which are far from the body cannot have impact on it. It is also impossible to understand them while they are far away. It is only when there is direct contact with the body that they can have impact and be understood.

1. Body Contact

Body contact metaphors show impact or understanding. Here are some examples.

to seize power, to cling to power, to pin one's hopes on something, to be able to grasp complex concepts, the concept is beyong/out of reach, she didn't get what he meant, to capture the meaning of an expression, to catch /grab somebody's attention, it didn't occur to them that he was just joking, it escaped me that the meeting was scheduled for today, a touching moment, to distance oneself from something, to be loosely connected, to be linked events, to be tied to organized crimes, Liberia's historic ties to the US, close friends, distant relatives, to stay in contact, to be/stay in touch, to cross X's mind, to cut ties, to sidestep the question, to come to grips with, to be captivated by a theory, to seize an idea, the book touches on many subjects, a tangible result, a striking example, his argument is supported by facts, she has been able to retain her reputation, they still sustain that assertion, I will keep that in mind, to take something seriously/lightly, to cross somebody's mind, the theory still holds, the news of his son's death hit him pretty hard, hard-hitting images, to be thunderstruck by the news, to hurt somebody's feelings, to inflict a damage on somebody's reputation.
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It is revealing to see that the meanings of verbs such as to understand and comprehend, are still etymologically transparent and indeed conform and support the notion that comprehension expressions come from body contact metaphors. They come respectively from to stand under and the French verb 'comprendre' to-with-take.

2. Temperature Metaphors

Temperature metaphors are used to describe a situation. The extreme heat and the extreme cold connote uncomfortable situations whereas medium temperature (warm) describes good situations.

to be/to put on the hot seat, to feel the heat, to put the heat on somebody, a burning issue, in the heat of the civil rights' movement and the cold war, to be in hot water, a heated discussion, a hotly contested report, a hot buttom, to warm to an idea, a warm reunion/welcome, a warm book, a lukewarm reception, to send chills down the spine, to to have a chilling effect, icy look, to give a cold shoulder, to be cold-blooded, to kill in cold blood, frosty relationship, to cool to the plan, to speak with cool frankness, demonstrations have cooled down, with the cold eyes of a philosopher, the iciest days of the cold war, to get cold feet, the cold logic of the law is warmed by a rich variety of experience, a frigid reaction, the government officials have tried to turn down the flame on hot story that the White House had helped ignite just days earlier.

The adjective hot sometimes has positive meaning, however, when it refers to new things or phenomena as in fashion, ideas, products, which have taken the center stage : a hot topic, a hot commodity

3. Weight Metaphors

Weight metaphors convey the importance, influence or the seriousness of things, situations or events. The most important ones carry heavy weight and the least important light weight.

the weight of words, to put a heavy emphasis on,a heavy accent, a political heavy weight, a heavy drinker/fog, minuses outweigh pluses, to suffer heavy losses, the heaviest attack, a heavily edited information, the concern is weighing very heavily on the government officials, heavy traffic/smoking, to take things lightly, to weigh options, to weigh heavily on, to rely heavily on try and true methods, to detract attention from weightier matters, the similarities outweigh the differences, to lift a ban/embargo, to throw one's weight around X, to use the weight of the office, to pay a heavy price, to carry weight, the city still bears the weight of its history, to crush under the weight of a dictatorial regime, a heavy cross to bear, the President left the heavy lifting to the Legislature, to be heavy-handed, to serve as counterbalance/counterweight, to carry a light/heavy load of research, a heavy/lighter teaching load, to have a light impact, to be relieved of a burden, to lighten a heavy discussion,to give a light prison sentence, the recital ended on lighter note, to use a measured language, to be balanced.

4. Taction Metaphors

The body sensations in contact with other objects such as 'soft', 'hard', are used to refer to difficult or easy situations, strong or weak objects. Thus 'hard' and its synonyms refer to the former concept and 'soft' and its synonyms to the latter.

a rough childhood/language/neighborhood, a hard situation/job/assignment, hardware, hard sciences, solid research/argument, solid/hard evidence, his life has mellowed with age, a mellow melody, a soft music, a soft-spoken individual, software, a velvet nigth, a velvet revolution, a velvet y sound, a silky melody, a weak response, a fragile personality, a smooth taste/talker, a smooth transition, at tender age, the memory is suffused with magic which smoothes the rough edges of the past.

Words which describe or refer to experiences which cause the most sensations on the body act as conceptual metaphors for things which challenge the mind.

a sharp child, that girl looks sharp in her dress,to sharpen one's political skills, a cutting-edge technology, a cutting reply, keen eyes, keen reasoning/insight, the sting of ambition, a stinging comment, poignant interest, poignant scene, a piquant wit, a piercing mind/question, an acute observer, a penetrating analysis, a biting allegory/remark, mordant (from French 'mordant' biting) eyes, a thorny issue, to be stunned by somebody's performance, his behavior came as shock, their son's failure was a big blow, it was definitely a slap in the face, to hit home, a catchy title/phrase, to pique (Fr.to inject) somebody's curiosity, a television hit.

The antonyms to the expressions above connote slowness or lack of the mind's brightness :
a blunt and tactless question,

II. Visual Metaphors

Visualization which is part of concretization consists of giving shape, form, color, size and or light to abstract concepts. This metaphor which is universal is used in everyday language unconsciouly by native speakers.

1. Form

Form metaphors give a physical form to concepts.

to paint the picture, to imagine, to give a whole picture, to be in the picture, to come into the picture, there is more to the picture, to shape the rules of the game, to miss from the picture, to give a clear picture, to put an X face on something, to frame a question/debate , to cross the dots, to put on the map, to be on the radar screen, to face problems.

Expressions which talk of the disappearance of the human body belong to this type of metaphor as well.

to lack out of the picture, to evaporate, to melt away, to disappear into thin air, to fall off the map of the world, some theories emerge and evaporate..

2. Shape

The shape metaphor gives a physical or moral personality to the object. Good shape corresponds to what is considered good and bad shape to what is bad.

dirty tricks/ business, down-and-dirty expletives, an ugly fight, a messy divorce, to clean up the mess, trash talking, a trashy tone, the administration is not clean as far as the affair is concerned, to be filthy rich, to clear swomebody of crimes, a crooked individual, a tattered economy, a sinuous insinuation, a tortuous questioning, to bend the rules, a loose girl, to tarnish/to taint somebody's reputation, the relationship between the two countries was disfigured by the war, a beautiful feeling, a beautifully smoked fish, a well-rounded education, a straight answer/individual, political adroitness, to be right, the right thing to do, a circular argument, an oblique answer, an elegant prose, a beer with an elegant smoothness, an inelegant stumbling, an attractive theory, a clean election, a polished speech, to twist the truth, some pieces of the puzzle don't quite fit in, to win fair and square elections, to set the record straight, a direct person, to respond directly to the accusations, to taint somebody's image, to paint a wrong picture, a neat report,the book neatly captures the underlying nature of the subject, the claim doesn't square with the reality, the relationship between the two countries was disfigured by the war .

3. Size :

The size linguistic expressions like the weight expressions are used to show importance or impact. Large size suggests big importance and small size little importance or impact.

a fat checking account, fat chance, a thich accent, a slim/thin victory, a tiny chance, the literature on the subject is thin, the article was thin on examples, to have a thin campaign theme, big money/business/moment, it's no big deal, a monumental error, a mammoth task, a huge expense/impact, a colossal failure, an outsized claim/drama, to build an oversized public profile, a sizable cash donation , a widely shared view ,to widen an inquiry, a massive knowledge, to make enormous strides, an enormous pressure, the plan was narrowly voted down, a narrow academic discipline, in the big scheme of things, to think big, to be in big trouble, a make a big fuss, an economical behemoth, a giant corporation, a gigantic tax cut, a sea change, to have an immense influence, the spending has zoomed, to be a mere drop in the ocean, a drop in the bucket, to play a large role, a broad agenda, out of thin air, to be narrow-minded, a narrow /wide range of issuest, to be dwarfed by, the shrinking of paychecks, to stretch the imagination/truth/meaning, to stretch thin, a tiny circulation, to broaden the scope of the mission, a microscopic experience, to become the 800-pound gorilla, she will continue to loom large in American politics, to be larger than life, a small effect, a little influence, to hold a tenuous position, a vast experience, to inflate one's ego, meager means, a slender income, lean years, a miniscule contribution, a deep thinker, a profound impact, a shallow character, a ballooning federal deficit, through thich and thin, to be short of cash, new ideas are in short supply, a long shot, a long memory, to have a long view, to take long to do something, to be long on brains, a lengthy (verbose) speech, tall tales, a tall order, a towering task, to expand an inquiry, he came out diminished after the debate, a grandiose plan, the problem is humongous, to take baby steps.

4. Color :

The colors that are used as metaphors are mostly black and white. Black is associated with what is not 'clean' such as illegal activities and 'white' symbolizes wha t is acceptable.

to blackmail, to blacklist, black market, to have a black mark, black words, a black lie,to have a black heart, black deeds, to see things in black and white, to whitewash, white lie, white magic, white list, white alert, green party, to paint a rosy picture.

Something which is not categorizable belongs to the gray area.

Color itseft is used as a metaphor to refer to additional features.

to have a colorful life,a colorful language, to color facts,a colorful individual, a colorless politician, the author empurpled his prose.

5. Light

Light in all languages is the symbol of knowledge, wisdom , understanding and well being. Intelligent people are those who have good eyes, look attentively and can see far.

to be farsighted, a visionary leader, the book has opened her eyes on new things that she never saw before, when will the country wake up, a wake-up call, to be clear eyed, to be an eye opener, a clairvoyant leader, do you see what I mean?, to open somebody's eyes, to dawn on X, clear-eyed thinking, lucid moments/explanation.

Ignorance is caused by having vision problems.

to be blinded, to be myopic, to lose sight, to be/keep in the dark, to be shortsighted, I don't see your point, the solution was nowhere in sight.

Things to be known have to have visibility

to lift the veil, to shed light, to surface, to come to the surface, to bubble up to the surface, to emerge, to highlight, to unearth the truth, to unmask somebody's past , to discover, to uncover, to illuminate the past, to show, to indicate, to demonstrate, to illuminate the underlying mechanism of a system, to discover, to uncover , to give a glimse, to come into sharp focus, to be in limeligt/spotlight, to lift somebody from obscurity, to clear the fog, to be/put on display, to come into prominence, a prominent role, a spectacular accomplishment, to come into the open, to come to light, somebody with high visibility, to bring to light, to X in the open, to bring the issue out into the open, to focus the lens on a subject, a panoramic view of African literature, to push an issue into the spotlight, to be an eye opener, the social problems caught the president's eye, to get the broadest possible scope of interest we will know the facts when the dust settles, to give a clear explanation, a pellucid explanation, a limpid style, to find an answer/solution, to rise from obscurity to the highest position in the land, to lay the facts on the table, to put X at the forefront, flash points, to lay the cards on the top of the table…

Phenomena which are outside the visual scope cannot be known or understood.

to be kept in dark,to remain a dark mystery, to be shrouded in secrecy, to be overshadowed, to drop out of race/sight, to cover up, to hide, to put a lid on, to never see the light of the day, there are valuable things in life which never see the light of the day for ages and ages, to be out of the picture, to fade from view, to cloud the picture/ the mind, to be under a cloud of suspicion, to mask a problem, the atmosphere will darken with the war in Irak, to obscure the truth, to close one's eyes, to turn a blind eye, to look the other way, to put behind X, to be blind to reality, the issues were buried in the background, his popularity faded away, it is an open secret, to fade into oblivion, the underlying meaning that lies in the deep, not to have the foggiest/faintest idea , to cover up a crime, to cloud X's judgment, the fog of war, to escape notice, to overlook the facts, to drop out of sight, to X behind closed doors, a shadowy militant organization, to pale in comparison, to blur the lines/boundaries/borders, the facts are still murky, not to have the foggiest/faintest idea, faint resemblance/idea, to be eclipsed, there are more to X that meets the eye, an underground movement/organization, the Undergrond Railroad, the underworld mafia, a murky radical movement, a dense fog of political intrigue, a blind faith, to sweep under the rug, a closely guarded secret, to X under the table, to be fired under the crowd of suspicion, the details were kept under wraps.

The light is also a symbol of hope, healthy situation and lack of light the opposite.

a bright future, bright and dark spots, a radiant personality, a ray/glimmer of hope, a shining moment , a shining family, a stellar career, high society luminaries, a galaxy of entertainers, to see the light at the end of the tunnel , a sunny optimism, a sunny career, to bask in the glow of success, to beam with happiness, to glow with pride, a transparent government, to have a gloomy view of the situation, to glow with pride, a glowing comment, to dim hopes, the polls added to the government's gloom, a somber ceremony, to issue a somber warning, the visit bureau's lack of a good manager is the latest cloud to shadow the tourism industry, to speak glowingly of somebody, not all was sunshine, to gather glowing reviews.

To refuse to look or be prevented from looking is also cause of lack of knowledge

to look the other way, to turn one's back to reality, to turn a blind eye, to cast a cloud over something, to keep in the dark.

Light is the embodiment of knowledge and darkness the personification of ignorance.

a luminous concept/report, a brilliant idea, a splendid idea, a sunny story, a gleaming example, the Enlightenment Movement, a bright/brilliant child, academic rising stars, an obscure writer/article, an opaque meaning, dark ages/past, a murky situation/concept, a dim idea, a nebulous recollection, fuzzy thinking, a hazy idea, a hidden agenda, a shadowy past, a twilight zone.

To see is to think

let me see what I can do, she is contemplating to change her career, she set her sights on a political career, they are envisioning to move to Europe, to see to it, to look into.

IV. Taste Metaphors :

Good taste metaphors are used to refer to any kind of pleasure whether it be sensual, intellectual or spiritual. Unpleasant experiences are conceived as bitter foods or drinks.. For instance, a victory is always sweet but a defeat is bitter.

a voluptuous beauty/feel, saucy tales, juicy conversation, to juice up a story, the senators peppered the secretary with questions about the killings of soldiers in Iraq, meaty article, delicious book, her satirical abilities remain deliciously undimmed, a bitter argument, to taste the bitter bread of defeat, raw politician, a sour marriage/ relationship, a souring public mood, to relish one's new status, a salty singer, a sweet victory, a succulent story, an acid remark, the theory lost flavor, a hot and spicy novel, to spice up a story, the book contains juicy vignettes, the news was juiced up for political purposes, to savor the sweet ordinariness of daily life/victory, the play was pleasingly sweet and annoyingly saccharine, an insipid tale, a vapid conversation, disgusting discussion, the economy has soured, to have appetite for, to be hungry /thirsty for, a bittersweet victory, the relationship between the two countries has soured, a sour economy, his comments left a sour taste in her mouth, a delectable story, the bitterness spills into the footnotes of the article, to relish adventure, the book is peppered with anachronisms, to fight until the bitter end, to be embittered by a remark, a bittersweet romantic comedy, a healthy appetite for minimalist art, a distaste for any kind of ideology, the audience was salted with actors, the play was spiced with lighter topical jokes, to add an international flavor, the performance had the flavor of pop, the prime minister's statements were extraordinarily tasteless, to have good tastes, a tastefully sleek office, a bad-taste comedy, a seasoned politician, a raw answer, to sweeten a deal, a syrupy manner, bitter pill to swallow, the killings of US soldiers in Iraq has sapped the Pentagon's appetite for a new military undertaking, a voracious reader, palatable ideas, unsavory truths/characters, a piquant smile, a tart comment, pungent wit/remark, unappetizing remarks/comments.

V. Smelling Metaphors

Smelling metaphors are used to refer to things, events or situations that seem suspicious.

the smell of corruption, to smell fishy, to smell a rat, to smell foul play, everything smells, to scent trouble,

It is also interesting to notice that taste and smell metaphors are most of the time mixed.

a spicy smell, a delicious smell, a sweet and delicious odor, sweet smell of success,

VI. Hearing Metaphors

To hear , thus having good ears, entails understanding and interest whereas problems in hearing or refusing to hear imply lack of interest or intellectual capacity.

to be all ears, to be up to one's ears, to fall on deaf ears, to turn a deaf ear, to go in one ear and out of the other, to enlist somebody as eyes and ears.

Clear, audible and resonant sounds correspond to satisfactory states or well-performed events .

to make one's voice heard, to raise one's voice, flat answer,to strike a chord, to strike a conciliatory note, a thounderous applause/ovation, to ring true, to elevate to a fever pitch, to make a sales pitch, the performance was pitch perfect, the argument was articulated with perfect pitch, a key-note speaker,to be resonant with meaning, his reputation resonates far beyond his country, a vociferous opposition, vibrant economy/future/colors/performance/personality, a strident assertion, his actions have reverberated in all aspects of the society, the complaints are growing loudest among the elite, a full-throated opposition, to be resonant with visual symbols, to live in harmony, a harmonious relationship, his reaction is consonant with his personality, to sound an upbeat note,to add new vibrancy/harmony, pitch perfect, the orchestra gave a lighter than a thunderous reading, everybody echoed the same view/sentiment, a roaring business, the results are all over but shouting, to utter a libel, to have a pronounced position, an articulate theory,to fine-tune a draft proposal, to be music to the ears, buzz words.

Unpleasant sounds are associated with unpleasant phenomena.

there is a cacophony in the classroom, a cacophonic mixture of colors, a loud denial, loud colors, a raucous portrayal, the car is screamingly red, she is wearing a red dress that screams, roaring drunk, to ring hollow, a dissonant court ruling, her dress is dissonant from her shoes, a discordant opinion, a harsh treatment, his new assertions were toned down from his latest statements, to mumble on a sandwish.

Conclusion

Metaphors exist because of the incapacity of the human brain to store all words which refer to the infinite world. Since the brain is part of the human body and the body experiences are the ones the brain experiences first and keeps experienting all the time , it is logical that the body takes center stage among the providers of conceptual metaphors. These body conceptual metaphors are found in all languages, although some senses may be used more predominently in some cultures than others because of environmental and social factors as expected and predicted by different academic disciplines and theories.